The use of bath salts — a class of synthetic drugs that mimics the effects of amphetamines, cocaine, LSD or ecstasy — has exploded in recent months in Central New York.

“It’s unbelievable the irrational, delusional nature of these people,” said Dr. Tim Page, director of the emergency department at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica. “There’s no reasoning with these folks. They’re aggressive. … There’s a tendency to biting or self harm or cannibalism, like chewing on somebody’s face. It’s not a good high.

“Until we educate the public, I’m afraid we’re going to still see this stuff.”

Law enforcement, government officials and medical professionals have responded with new laws, informational sessions for the public, training sessions for police and medical personnel and drug busts.

But the efforts have been hampered by a lack of knowledge about the chemistry, effects and treatment of these synthetic drugs, as well as the limitations of attempts to ban them.

“They’re so new, we don’t know a whole lot yet about them,” said Jeanna Marraffa, a clinical toxicologist with the Upstate New York Poison Center at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse.

“It’s challenging, it’s scary and really has become an epidemic,” she added. “And again, it’s somewhat frustrating for us. … A lot of times, my answer is ‘I don’t know.’ And it’s because we don’t have a lot of the research yet. We don’t have a lot of the experience yet. It is a challenge for us every day.”

Read more about this growing problem in a three-day series beginning in Sunday's Observer-Dispatch